JUPITER, Fla. — What is true for major-league spring training is also true in minor-league spring training: The statistics are the ends, and often the means are more important.

Consider Adam Ottavino’s day.

The former first-round pick had a garish line from Monday’s game against Class AA Jacksonville. It read:

4.2 IP, 7 H, 6 runs, 2 BB, 4 Ks

But there is a story behind the numbers. Five of those six runs were unearned, and he was darn…

TAMPA, Fla. — After he praised the drug-testing policy that Major League Baseball has now, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was asked if he heard enough today in Alex Rodriguez’s lengthy press conference here to be sure his star — and, heck, other stars — were now playing the game clean.

“I hope so,” Cashman said.

It’s what he now refuses to say that truly echoed.

For the second consecutive spring training and the third time…

TOWER GROVE — As I waded through various research projects this offseason, a fluke of clutter provided a jolt of inspiration. There, nosed up against one another in the flotsam of loose and scattered legal pads and books, was my scorecard from Opening Day 2001 at Coors Field and a Cardinals encyclopedia-of-sorts opened to Rogers Hornsby’s page.

As a sidebar jockey for The Rocky Mountain News in 2001, I was at Coors Field to cover Mike Hampton’s brilliant debut…

TOWER GROVE — For the third consecutive year the blog will be coming live this weekend from the Winter Warm-up in downtown St. Louis. Throughout the three days of the event, I’ll update the blog with comments from players, quotes from prospects (10 or so will be in attendance), tidbits from executives, the scene at the fest and, of course, news (i.e., pre-arbitration signings).

A wrinkle to the coverage this year will be the Twitter feed….

TOWER GROVE — Newest first-ballot Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson will speed into Cooperstown as the all-time man of steal (no one is close), the all-time leader in runs scored (the chief goal of the game) and arguably the finest leadoff hitter in history. He will not however reach the Hall as the best single-season power hitter of the rarest breed of ballplayer — the bats-right, throws-left big leaguer.

Ryan Ludwick saw to that.

This afternoon’s announcement that Henderson…

TOWER GROVE — Earlier this week, St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan did the radio rounds and spoke about the closer role, closer candidates, the rotation and how so much hinges on the shoulder of Chris Carpenter. He also had a telling comment about his retooled bullpen. Asked in an interview on 101 ESPN if he was confident with the new-look left side of his bullpen, Duncan answered plainly, realistically.

He said he does not…

TOWER GROVE — A year ago, the handful of available Japanese free agents — the most coveted of whom turned out to be outfielder Kosuke Fukudome — reinforced the notion that the St. Louis Cardinals needed to expand and improve their ability to scout the other side of the Pacific Rim. With a few hires geared specifically to enhance their ability to evaluate and sign Japanese free agents, the Cardinals have in the past 12 months…

TOWER GROVE — The Cardinals are close to acquiring a new face while continuing a familiar trend.

Late last night the news broke, by Joe Strauss here at The Post-Dispatch and by Padres beat writer Tom Krasovic over at the San Diego Union-Tribune, that the Cardinals had traded for San Diego shortstop Khalil Greene. Greene will become the St. Louis Cardinals’ fourth different everyday shortstop since the start of the 2004 World Series. And, his contract gives every…

TOWER GROVE — There’s a certain amount of hesitation here to close the voting for the No. 11 prospect because it is so close between the rising comet Niko Vasquez and blue-chip sinkerballer Clayton Mortensen. Both have received about 25 percent of the vote, and I’ve been refreshing all morning to see if there are precincts still logging in their votes …

And with 265 votes in, Vasquez edges Mortensen by a slim margin of six.

A…

TOWER GROVE — As the doors to Major League Baseball’s free-agent marketplace swing open Friday, the St. Louis Cardinals plan a bee-line to the lefthanded reliever auction, where they will find plenty of other bidders looking to beef-up on that same side of the bullpen.

The Cardinals have been rather public with their plan to address holes on the left-side of the bullpen via free agency — because why deny what the depth chart reveals? Renovating…

TOWER GROVE — One of the most intriguing and up-for-grabs awards this side of the National League MVP award is the league’s Cy Young award. It could be viewed as a referendum on what voters value.

Want change? Well, you might get a sea change from those standard triple-crown stats that have been such handy guides to a Cy Young-worthy pitcher. Wins just won’t do it this year.

Even ERA (gasp!) might not reveal the most worthy…

TOWER GROVE — One of the last awards to be handed out in the annual weeklong roll-out of the Baseball Writers Association of America awards is the one award that’s dominated so much conversation around St. Louis this month — the National League MVP. Here’s a safe best: Somebody with ties to St. Louis will win it.

Heck, the winner will be a player who calls St. Louis home during the offseason.

But before we find out…

CREVE COEUR — When officials decided on the setting for the climate-controlled humidor at Coors Field — the machine geared to take the “mile high” out of mile-high offensive numbers — they decided to dial up Missouri. The humidor is set to 70 degrees and 50-percent humidity, the exact same specs Rawlings uses at its plant where official baseballs are stored here, in Missouri.

Maybe that explains how Matt Holliday has hit so well at Busch…

TOWER GROVE — With colorful leaves, crisp temps and trade talk in the air, ’tis the season to talk Top 30 — the St. Louis Cardinals Top 30 prospects that is. Over the past month, I’ve been cranking through the scouting comments and reporting on the performances of the Cardinals minor leaguers to piece together a Top 30 for Baseball America.

This much is obvious: For the third consecutive year (and likely last year) Colby Rasmus…

TOWER GROVE — Fresh from an offseason that included a new contract, a slimmer frame and a healthier knee, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina sat in front of his locker at the Jupiter facility and talked instead about what was missing. It was his first day of spring training and he had no need to hide his personal goal for the 2008 season.

He wants to win a Gold Glove.

“I won’t stop, I’ll keep working…